Increased vector-borne disease

Rising temperatures also have the potential to lead to an increase in vector-borne diseases like dengue, Zika virus, malaria, and Lyme disease. These types of diseases are passed from animals to humans (or other animals) by a vector, like a tick or mosquito.

As temperatures warm, more regions worldwide will become suitable environments for breeding mosquitoes and ticks-meaning vector-borne diseases will become more common. Plus, as these diseases spread and outbreaks become much more frequent, healthcare systems and resources will likely become strained.

Biodiversity loss

One of the most concerning impacts of climate change is biodiversity loss in the natural world.

Biodiversity is a term we use to describe the variety of life forms on earth. This includes everything from animals and plants to fungi and bacteria. As temperatures rise, vegetation, food sources, and water access are all impacted, meaning ecosystems can become uninhabitable for certain wildlife.

Without the food and water they need to survive, some animals are forced to travel outside of their normal environments to find sustenance. The animals that don't do this won't survive, leading to a greater risk of extinction.

Animals and the ecosystems where they live play an essential part in our fight against climate change. In fact, the UN estimates that healthy ecosystems could account for a staggering 37% of the carbon reductions needed to limit rising temperatures worldwide.

Loss of biodiversity from climate change also leads to:

Increased risk of zoonotic diseases

As the ecosystems in which wildlife once survived begin to become uninhabitable and animals start to migrate into new areas, they come into closer contact with humans and livestock. As a result, infectious diseases spread more easily between wild animals and people. These zoonotic diseases, like Ebola, COVID-19, rabies, and more, can quickly threaten human health and, as we've seen with COVID-19, become pandemics affecting the entire world population.

Compromised medicine supplies

Plant species are essential to human medicine. It's estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000 plant species are used in traditional and modern medicines. Moreover, an estimated 60% of the world's population uses traditional medicines, which often involve medicinal plants.

With so many of our medicines relying so heavily on plants, the natural world is key to supporting human health worldwide. If plant species become endangered or go extinct, we also lose access to those medicines.

Reduced mental wellbeing

It's no secret that being in nature has enormous mental health benefits. As biodiversity decreases, beautiful natural environments are lost over time, and some of the wildlife species that once lived there are faced with extinction. When these environments are no longer there, this is likely to greatly reduce our mental well-being over time.

Moreover, increased stress about severe weather events, economic impacts of climate change, and climate change-related health conditions can all negatively impact our mental health.

Climate change is not just an environmental issue-it has vast and far-reaching impacts on humans, including our health, homes, and overall well-being. Though it might not always be obvious, climate change impacts the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, and so much more. These impacts will only worsen without immediate action to address the climate crisis.

What's more, wildlife and the natural world are also suffering at the hands of climate change. Learn more about how climate change impacts the ocean and which animals are most impacted by climate change on our blog.

At IFAW, we put nature at the heart of climate action with nature-based solutions to the climate crisis. These solutions are actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use, and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services, resilience, and biodiversity benefits.

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